Windflowers...
by Koneko Kamiya
Summary: Fate brought two lovers together, that same fate now threatens to tear them apart. Destiny was fulfilled, and destiny now rebels against its boundaries. The wind blows through the ancient forests of Gaea, carrying the lost whispers of the blossoms; forete
1. Poems and Primroses

*Kamakura, Japan, Mystic Moon*  
  
A drop of morning dew fell silently from a leaf and into the crystal water of the small lake. The sun was already high in the cloudless sky and a pleasant breeze was blowing through the tall trees of the park. A young woman was walking leisurely by, holding a small girl of about five years of age in her arms... In passing she smiled kindly at two women sitting on one of the bright red benches of Kamakura Park... She then concentrated back onto the dusty path in front of her and resumed walking.   
  
As soon as the girl was out of earshot the two women started talking... talking about the accident that had happened five years before...  
  
"Poor girl..." whispered one of the women as she eyed the retreating form of the young girl...  
  
"She looks so distant; did anybody ever find out what really happened to her?" the other nodded sadly and brushed a stray lock of her long black hair away from her eyes...  
  
The older looking woman shook her head in apparent desolation "No, and the bad thing is she actually believes what she says..."  
  
"It was the shock." The woman sighed heavily and then added; "I wonder what they did to the poor girl... raped her probably."  
  
The wrinkled hand of the eldest flew to her mouth in disapproval "Don't say it! But you're probably right... Have you seen the child though? She looks so adorable... but with a mother like that I don't know what will become of her!"   
  
"True." another dramatic sigh "and the poor little thing has no idea of what type of person her father really is..."  
  
"Tsk... Dragons, angels, and the lost people of Atlantis... poor girl! Drugged her out of her mind... that's what they did!"   
  
Both women simultaneously sighed and shook their heads sadly. With a final look in the direction the girl had been walking in they returned to their usual gossips...  
  
  
  
  
Windflowers...  
By: Koneko Kamiya  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*I'll never forget you Van!*  
  
*Hitomi...*  
  
Those words were forever engraved in her mind... the last words that had escaped his lips... the last time she had ever heard his voice or seen his face; the last time she had been warm and safe in his strong arms...  
  
With a sigh Hitomi flipped over the book she had been trying to read and closed her eyes letting the warm, spring breeze caress her face... caress her face as gently as Van would. The breeze even smelled like Van... the smell of freshly cut grass, damp earth and the warm rays of the sun...  
  
Like the sun's rays that were gently warming her... the rays from the sun that shone both on Earth and on Gaea.   
  
Gaea.   
  
She shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight and gazed at the clear sky... wishing she could see the Earth's twin planet, the planet that had been created by the wishes of people...   
  
*Just once... I'd like to see Gaea again... once...*  
  
But the lush green planet remained hidden behind veils created by people's hearts... hidden behind our will not to see... not to see the darker side of our race...   
  
But He was different... he was a descendant of that darker side, but to Hitomi... to Hitomi he was the light. The only reason she woke up in the morning, the only reason she continued to breathe... but it was becoming more and more difficult to do so...  
  
He... he was so far away... on an other world... a world she was not sure even existed. Everybody had told her that Gaea was just a fragment of her imagination... a fantasy that had bloomed to cover up the scars that had been left by her disappearance.. But she would not... could not believe them. He existed, he was real... and she missed him terribly.  
  
*Van... how are you doing now?*  
  
*I wish I was there with you... I wish you could hold me close and tell me that everything will be alright... tell US that everything will be alright... oh Van...*   
  
Hitomi blinked to clear her eyes from the tears that were threatening to fall, and then she grabbed the book again and with her free hand pushed a lock of her long sandy-blond hair behind her ear.   
  
*Life has been so hard lately, so... disappointing. I used to have dreams, Van. I used to dream of my future. A good job, a husband, children... That was all forgotten once I met you, Van. Now you have become my only dream... my unreachable angel...*   
  
The leaves above her head rustled and a little bird flew out chirping noisily, his fragile wings allowing it to soar into the sky...  
  
*Wings... just like V...*  
  
"MAMA!"   
  
Hitomi turned round, surprised, but then her expression softened and her smile widened at the sight of the young girl.  
  
"Ran" she shook her head and chuckled lightly when the girl tripped over her own feet while running towards her, and landed with a thud on the soft grass.  
  
The girl stood up sheepishly, dusted her short dress off, and reached to retrieve her fallen teddy bear; Then she smiled at her mother... "Mama!"   
  
Hitomi stretched as the little Ran plopped happily next to her and rested her head on her lap, trying to cover up the grass stains on her knees from her mother's eyes. Once she was sure that her mother hadn't noticed, or didn't seem to particularly care, Ran grabbed the hem of her mother's skirt and gave it a little tug.  
  
"Can we go and see the swans mama? Please mama! Are we going?" the little girl was practically oozing excitement as she explained where she wanted to drag her mother.  
  
"Ok honey, calm down. Why don't you run along...? I'll follow" Hitomi smiled and patted the little girl's head.  
  
Ran jumped up and broke into a sprint for the lake throwing a "Race you there!" over her shoulder...  
  
"Be careful, Ran! RAN!"   
  
Too late... the girl was long gone, her short black hair flowing behind her...  
Hitomi sighed and looked fondly at the retreating figure of her child.   
  
*She looks so much like you Van...*   
  
Little Ran indeed possessed her father's looks... raven hair, shy reddish eyes and tanned skin. Personality wise, Ran had demonstrated she possessed the same rebellious, independent and reckless attitude that were a characteristic of her young father...  
  
*No. You MUST be real Van... because every time I look at Ran I see you. I see your face, your eyes, your smile...*  
  
Hitomi plucked a primrose from the ground and used it as a bookmark for the collection of poems she had been reading; she then stood up lazily and smoothed her short skirt and blouse ready to go and keep an eye on her four-year-old daughter...  
  
Casting a last glance at the ancient tree she had been resting under, she started walking towards the little lake that was situated at the center of the park. Even if it was just early spring, the weather had been fairly mild lately and the flowerbeds at the sides of the path were in full bloom...  
  
*How are the flowers in Gaea, Van? Are they as beautiful as the Earth's? Or can you feel the same sorrow radiating from them as I feel now? Can you hear them whispering, Van? Can you hear their lost words carried by the wind?*   
  
Shading her emerald eyes with her hand, Hitomi looked into the azure sky and sighed...  
  
*Can you hear me, Van? Can you hear my voice calling you? Can you feel my heart beating with yours? *  
  
It was then that she saw it. She saw the familiar pillar of light descending towards the Earth. Her eyes widened as she realized it wasn't landing near her... it was landing between the tall trees that surrounded the pond... The pond!  
  
*Ran!*  
  
" RAN!" Hitomi broke into a sprint towards the pond... her heart hammering against her rib cage she tried to reach her daughter in time... tried to reach her daughter before they took her away too...  
  
*No... Please! God, please! Don't take her away from me too... don't take Ran from me... Please... if she leaves I will die... oh please let this not be happening!*  
  
Hitomi ran faster, if that was possible. She reached the trees just in time to see the white light engulf her daughter and slowly lift her off the ground...  
  
A scream rang through the air and Ran's teddy bear slipped from the girl's hands. Ran's eyes widened as she felt her weight leave her and saw her mother's grief stricken eyes staring right at her own...  
  
"RAN!"  
  
"MAMA!"  
  
Little Ran then saw her mother rush towards her and reach her hand upwards; she stretched her little fingers to try and grasp hers but failed... and could do nothing but watch as her mother and the whole park became smaller and smaller and smaller....  
  
*Mama! Mama help me!*  
  
Ran saw her mother slump to the ground, defeated; and she saw her tears... her crystal tears falling to the ground.... And then heard her cry. Heard her cries echoing through her whole being, heard her whisper words full of sorrow and then felt her pain. Felt the pain in her mother's heart, in her soul... then suddenly it vanished.  
  
It vanished as her mother shakingly stood up, and white wings spread from her back. Her wings fluttered; insecure at first but then the beats gained confidence and her mother flew.  
  
Hitomi felt the wings shredding her shirt and stumbled, unaccustomed to the weight on her back... Then, recovering from the surprise, she smiled and, with a cry of joy, she uncertainly flew towards her daughter.  
  
When she reached the little girl, she gathered her into her arms and held her close.... The presence of her mother seemed to calm Ran and her sobs subsided as she held on tightly to her mother's shoulders, feeling the comforting warmth that was radiating from her form.  
  
Then, Ran's eyes peered questioningly into Hitomi's...   
  
"Mama... are you an angel?"  
  
Hitomi just smiled and stroked the girl's raven hair...  
  
Ran's eyelids dropped as she saw the tears drying from her mother's cheeks... she snuggled closer and reached out a hand to stroke one of her mother's pure white feathers... but as soon as she touched her wings they disappeared, retreating into Hitomi's back.   
  
Ran shrieked, expecting them to fall to the now very distant ground... but, to her immense surprise, the column of luminous particles seemed to pull them upwards... pull them towards the moon... actually _beyond_ the moon...  
  
"Where are we going mama?" Ran's frightened whisper startled Hitomi...  
  
She looked at the moon, now visible, shining in the dark sky... then she looked behind it... and, appearing suddenly like reality after a dream, at the planet Gaea...  
  
"Home..." came her simple answer... but Ran didn't hear her for she had fallen asleep, the fabric of her mother's blouse still held tightly in her closed fists...  
  
Hitomi smiled as she to felt herself drift into unconsciousness...  
  
*Home...*   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
To be continued....  
  
  
I have _finally_ written this. I have been thinking about this continuation of the Escaflowne series since I saw the ending... and that was in December... _  
  
It took so long to start because I keep changing my mind... when I first came up with this, Ran shouldn't have even been born in the first chapter... and Hitomi should have returned to Gaea the month after she left... but, as you can see, it evolved.  
  
And here it is... my first Escaflowne fanfic.  
  
I'm warning you all now... this will be looooooooooooooooooooong... I have the details for chapter 26 or so... and it's not yet finished.  
  
BUT it will probably take a long time to write it all out... Forgive me if this chapter wasn't really good... I'll try and make the next chapters more interesting....  
  
Oh, and as I said before... this story is always evolving so I'd appreciate your suggestions since they could influence the future plot a lot...  
  
Thanks for reading this... =^.^=  
  
Disclaimer: I know you are all dying to hear the snappy and funny disclaimer but I can't think of one right now... so all I can tell you is that Tenkuu no Escaflowne and all its characters does _not_ belong to me. BUT Ran does... Ran is my own creation and I'd appreciate it if you asked before using her in any way (yeah! like that will ever happen! ^_^) ...  
  
I will try and make a page with all the descriptions and stats for MY characters (and, I can assure you, there will be a LOT of new characters) so that you can understand all the relationships better...  
  
Alas, it is now time for me to go to bed since I have school tomorrow...  
  
See you all with the next chapter...  
  
Love,  
  
Serena a.k.a. Koneko Kamiya.... =^.^=  



	2. Harps and Lilies of the Valley

Windflowers...   
  
  
By: Koneko Kamiya   
  
  
  
  
A wistful melody floated from one of the windows of the castle of Fanelia, its sad notes feeling out of place in the bright morning light. A peaceful breeze was blowing through the tall trees that surrounded the ancient palace, carrying the familiar scent of spring blossoms back to the young man that was leaning tiredly against the stone banister of the balcony.  
  
His cape was flowing in the wind, as was his raven hair, his hold on the banister tightened as a cloud momentarily obscured the sun and he shivered despite the relatively warm air.   
  
The music seemed to become slow down more and more, until, after the last beautiful notes, it stopped completely and the remains of the melody lost themselves in the air of Fanelia.  
  
The young man looked at the sky one last time and then turned into his apartments closing the glass doors behind him.   
  
Once he entered his room, he blinked repeatedly trying to adjust to the sudden darkness that surrounded him.  
  
"Why did you stop Tareel?"   
  
A young girl of about the age of 14 was sitting on the carpet covered ground, her legs crossed and her long, brown hair spilling down her shoulder and onto her lap. In her hands she held a small, golden harp with silken strings and floral pattern engraved upon it. One of her fingers traced a particularly complicated design as her other hand started braiding one of her long tresses and finally pushed it away from her eyes.  
  
"You looked sad, lord Van. I didn't want my humble music to bother you." with that, the young girl smoothed out invisible creases in her red cotton gown and tucked her feet even closer to her body.   
  
Van sighed as he walked back towards the window and looked out at the beautifully rebuilt city of Fanelia.  
  
"You never are a bother Tareel, I love your music"   
  
The girl blushed and looked up towards her young king. He still had that faraway look on his face, and it was starting to bother her. She had known the king for five, long years now and his expression always seemed one of complete and utter despair. He rarely smiled, and when he did, his smile was always a wistful, melancholic one.   
  
She set the harp down next to her and stood up. Smoothing her gown, she stretched and started walking in the direction of the window, the bracelets round her ankles making a soft, jingling sound as she moved.  
  
"Lord Van..." she started gently,   
  
"I'm alright Tareel... it's nothing."   
  
As he turned round to look at her she noticed that his fingers were gently touching the pink pendant that was around his neck. He seemed to do that often; play with that strange ornament he was always wearing.  
  
"But thank you for your concern..."   
  
Tareel couldn't help but to lower her eyes and blush a brilliant crimson; he always seemed to have this effect on her.   
  
The king was in fact considered to be extremely handsome by many. His shoulder length raven hair, shy burgundy eyes, muscular figure were qualities that were greatly appreciated by females all over the reign. And even further away than that. Florelia, Asturia, Inari and even Aibara.  
  
But, in Tareel's point of view, his looks weren't the most important feature of attraction. It was his personality. Introvert sensitive... artistic even. She had seen him paint a couple of times, she found his paintings beautiful, but she would never find the courage to tell him that for she had been spying at the time.  
  
Never the less she thought his paintings were outstanding... a recurring theme seemed to be a young girl with short, sandy blond hair and angel wings. She idly wondered why; maybe she was his long lost love?  
  
Surprised by the total absence of jealousy concerning this young woman, Tareel frowned. She probably was dead anyway, for if a king wanted something, someone, there was nothing that could interfere... but he didn't seem the type of person that would force someone, especially a woman, into something she didn't want to do. Maybe it had something to do with the King's rebellious past, all the way back during the Great War...  
  
But enough of that! These were personal matters concerning Lord Van, and him only.   
  
"Are you alright Tareel? You seemed thoughtful a moment ago... but it's late! If you don't leave now you will be late for your music lesson."  
  
Startled, she looked outside and noticed that the sun was already reaching its zenith and that the streets were crowded with people going to the afternoon market.   
  
"Oh no... Sir Revel will be extremely upset..." with that she clumsily curtsied, grabbed her harp and ran towards the door.  
  
"Tareel, calm down... if he says anything tell me, and I'll explain that you were playing your harp for me..." he smiled again, that tender almost... fatherly smile as he grabbed her wrist forcing her to slow down.  
  
Tareel blushed at the feeling of his warm fingers encircling her wrist, then nodded whispering her thanks and fled down the dimly lit corridor.  
  
Van, looked at her retreating form running down the corridor and smiled...   
  
*Little Tareel... always so careful when dealing with people's feelings.*  
  
He gently closed the door of his room and walked towards the balcony once again. Opening the glass panes he stepped outside and looked at the sky. The clouds had disappeared and he could clearly see the big, azure moon that hung in the Gaean skies.   
  
The memory of Tareel's soft music still echoing from the ancient stones, Van concentrated on his memories... on the bittersweet moments with her, on her face, her tears. He could still feel her soft skin under his fingers, her weight in his arms, the smell of her silky hair.  
  
She was up there somewhere, somewhere in that immense sky.  
  
*What if she... what if she has forgotten about me?*   
  
He suppressed that train of thought... she had promised. Promised that night, and promised all over again the next day.   
  
Fool. He was a fool. He had let her go... told her everything would be fine, told her they would always be together... feh, he was sure he must have sounded like a prince from one of the fairy tales his mother used to tell him when he was young.   
  
Not a prince, a fool. A hypocritical fool.  
  
She had practically asked him if she could stay and he had told her she could leave. And while he was telling her all those _lies_ his heart was shattering inside his chest.   
  
He had never seen her again.   
  
She visited his dreams, his fantasies but it wasn't her. In his imagination she still was the young girl she had been then... how old was she now? 19? 20 maybe...  
  
*Van Fanel you are a fool and an idiot*   
  
He cringed as he insulted himself... cringed because he knew the thoughts in his mind where true.   
  
The grip on the warm stones tightened as he gave into the despair of having lost her. She was lost to him... she probably was married by now, and probably loved her husband more than she had ever loved him...  
  
Maybe he should just en...  
  
pa-thump  
  
He strained his ears to hear the strange noise bu...  
  
pa-thump  
  
a heart beat?   
  
pa-thump  
  
the soft sound echoed through his mind... could it be that ... that...  
  
pa-thump  
  
Escaflowne?  
  
He looked towards the lush forest in which Escaflowne lay next to his brother... protecting his eternal sleep...  
  
The sound in is head became clearer until he was sure that the giant mecha was calling him...  
  
He rushed out of his apartments, knocking into a couple of servants as he ran towards the stables...   
  
The heartbeat became stronger and stronger and it soon drowned everything else apart the rhythmic sound of his horse's hoofs hitting the soft ground.   
  
What could be happening to Escaflowne? He was the only one who could pilot the giant mecha, much less make it function _without_ an energist.   
  
Through the top of the trees he could finally see the top of the pure white monument that was his family's tombstone...   
  
*Brother, mother, father... what is happening? I don't understa...*   
  
Riding through the last branches of the lush trees that hid his vision of the small clearing, he gasped for he saw a young girl climbing on Escaflowne's shoulder...   
  
But she was soon forgotten as he took in the rest of his surroundings and noticed Her...   
  
Lying on the soft grass, the small, white, bells of the lily of the valleys framing her figure... the sweet, intoxicating smell of the flowers permeating the warm breeze...  
  
Longer hair, ripped shirt, adult features... she had changed... but the moment he laid his eyes on her he was sure...  
  
*Hitomi...*  
  
"HITOMI!"  
  
Jumping of the horse he stumbled towards the unconscious young woman and when he reached her he knelt down beside her... and with a sudden movement he gathered her into his lap. The familiar weight of her head resting against his chest, her soft curves pressed against his body, her lips slightly parted and her features relaxed in sleep...   
  
Van held Hitomi tighter... murmuring her name into her hair over and over again. he rocked her sleeping form back and forth and inhaled deeply the never forgotten fragrance of her skin...   
  
Suddenly he felt a little hand touch his shoulder and he turned around... gasping as he found himself staring into two red eyes that mirrored his own...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
to be continued...  
  
  
mwahahahahaha... cliffhanger! ^_^  
  
Finally chapter 2 is up... I'm sorry if it's so short... I'll try better next time. ^_^   
  
I had hoped to post this yesterday but fate wouldn't have it that way... ::pouts::   
  
anyways...  
  
Sadly, Escaflowne does not belong to me. If it did.. I would have probably based Van on a real person and if I knew a person that looked like Van I wouldn't be here writing... I'd be occupied with more ::blush:: interesting activities... ^_^ Ran and Tareel do belong to me though... otherwise I own nothing but the plot...  
  
Oh.. and if you want to know... the music Tareel is playing is memories of Fanelia... immagine it slower and played with a harp... ::sniff:. so... so nostalgic! ;_;  
  
  
Thank you for all your encouraging reviews... I really appreciate them... =^.^=  
  
luv Koneko-chan   
  
P.S.  
I'll try to get chapter three out before Monday... although school is getting more and more _annoying_ these days... ::sigh:: =^.^=  



	3. Candles and SandalWood

  
Warning: LIME!!!! ^_~  
  
  
Windflowers...  
  
Chapter 3: Candles and SandalWood  
  
  
  
For a moment all was silent, Van could clearly hear the soft chirping of birds in the trees that surrounded the small enclosure in the forest. A sudden gust of wind blew the girl's raven hair in front of her eyes, Van blinked as the girl's hold on his shoulder tightened.  
  
"Let go of her."   
  
The tone of the voice could have been intimidating if it hadn't been a four-year old girl saying those words... therefore Van just smiled.   
  
"I said, let go of my mother!"   
  
Such simple words, but they affected Van in the way a death sentence would.   
  
She had married. All was clear now. It was just some sick, twisted joke of the Gods above. Take her away from him, drive him mad while waiting for her to return; and then give her back. And now that she was finally in his arms after so long he would have to let her go again. Let her go back to the one she loved and to the father of her daughter...   
  
In a secluded corner of his mind, Van found himself wishing for the death of this man... maybe if he was dead she would stay by his side... hope blossomed. Maybe she came back to him because her husband had died and she needed comfort. Maybe she would stay... stay because she needed company. He wouldn't care... he wouldn't care if she stayed in Gaea just out of self-pity and loneliness as long as she was by his side.   
  
It was his punishment. He had let go of her and now he would live, if that could be called a life, with the consequences of what he had done. He would love her, need her, want her, reach out for her... and she would always be beside him but never actually there. She would still love another... another cycle had started...  
  
"Why are you crying sir?" the soft, soprano voice echoed through the ancient trees...  
  
"It's nothing. Don't worry about... about your mother. I'm just trying to help"   
  
Van held Hitomi tighter and smoothed her hair away from her pale face...   
  
Self induced torture.  
  
He winced as she shifted in her sleep and moaned out something intelligible in his ear... her eyelids fluttering for a moment but then closing again with a sigh.  
  
Pain, heart-wrenching agony.  
  
He stood up, holding his precious bundle to his heart and started walking towards his horse, which was grazing not far away from the giant mecha.   
  
"Come on, little one, I'm taking you and your mother to my castle. There she can rest until she wakes up... and then leave if she wants..." the last part was a painful whisper...  
  
The girl ran to catch up with him and then she grabbed a hold of his furry cape and tugged.  
  
"You mean a castle like the ones in the fairy tales? Like Cinderella's castle?"  
  
Van had to smile despite of the dull ache he felt echoing through his whole body, flowing with his blood and poisoning his soul. He couldn't hate this little girl, he couldn't even dislike her. She was the result of a love between Hitomi and someone she had obviously cared for, and even though he could barely stand the pain, he had to accept the fact that Hitomi, unlike him, had moved on. She had lived her life, gotten engaged, and then married.   
  
"I don't know who this 'Cinderella' is little one, but yes, it is a castle like the ones in the novels my mother read to me when I was little..."  
another painful smile was rewarded with a look of pure bewilderment...  
  
"You've never heard of _Cinderella_?" another sharp tug distracted Van as he reached for his horse's reins and pulled the animal's soft muzzle upwards. He then shifted the weight of the girl in his arms to his other shoulder and, with his free hand, stroked the soft fur on the animal's nose.   
  
The little girl awed.  
  
"You've never heard of Cinderella but you have a real horse?" her childish eyes were wide in wonder...  
  
"What do you mean with a 'real horse' little one? This is an equus." Van smiled as he pulled himself up on the horses back settling Hitomi down in front of himself, her head resting on his shoulder and comfortably leaning against his chest.   
  
"What's an 'equus'?" the girl winced as Van reached down grabbed her waist pulling her up. As soon as she settled down into his lap, she grabbed hold of her mother's hand and held on tight.  
  
Van smiled again "What's a 'Cinderella'?"  
  
The girl shrieked as the 'equus' darted forwards at the slightest command of his master's hand, so Van slowed the animal's pace down. Looking down at the girl in his lap, he noticed her frightened expression and gave her a reassuring squeeze.  
  
"It's alright... he wont run."  
  
The girl visibly relaxed and resumed her happy chatter...   
  
The wind had picked up a bit and it had started to turn chilly, the cold fingers of the afternoon breeze clawing at Ran's thin clothes and she shivered...  
  
"Are you cold little one?"  
  
Riding through the tall trees of the ancient forest was indeed uncomfortable, for the sun's rays couldn't reach the damp brushwood. All was silent except for the soft crunching sound of the animal walking on the layer of dead leaves that had fallen the preceding winter, but Van felt the little girl's answer. She shivered again and hid farther inside his cloak, the skin of her cheek cold against his chest.   
  
Wrapping Hitomi and the girl in his fur cape he motioned to the animal to speed up a bit and finally the white, stone walls of the castle appeared behind the last layer of trees.   
  
The sun shone down on the three riders but Ran just snuggled closer to Van wrapping her tiny arms round his waist and holding onto her mother at the same time.  
  
Van felt himself caring more and more for the little girl... it felt so right to hold her, to hold her and Hitomi. As if she approved his thoughts, Hitomi shifted leaning further against his shoulder, her lips centimeters from his neck, and he heard her murmur out his name. He sighed and closed his eyes...  
  
*maybe... just maybe...*   
  
"When I was younger, my mother used to tell me stories about people that lived behind the moon... about castles, princesses and brave warriors..." the little girl whispered... "Mama also told me about my father. She said he was a young king, and he piloted a giant robot like the ones on TV, what did she call them 'guy-me-lefs' something... just like the one that called me before in the forest" Ran sighed " I remember having the feeling of a family when she used to hold me before I fell asleep... I used to dream about having a real father and it felt like I feel now... warm."  
  
Van froze.  
  
*a king? giant melef? Escaflowne calling her?*   
  
As little Ran rambled on everything clicked into place...  
  
The girl's hair, her eyes, her nose... they had looked familiar and now Van knew why. They were his own.  
  
Escaflowne. Escaflowne had been reacting to the girl's presence and that could only mean she was of the Fanel family.  
  
But he had to be certain...  
  
"What's... what's your name, little one?" he grabbed her shoulder tightly but not painfully... almost, almost comfortingly.  
  
She blushed, suddenly shy "Ran sir... my name is Ran Kanzaki. I know it's an unusual name but she said it reminded her of my father..."  
  
"What's your na..." she started, but he silenced her moving a hand up to the girl's face to brush her wild locks away from her eyes. She started to repeat her question but it was then that she noticed tears falling down his tanned cheeks.  
  
"Van... Van Fanel, King of Fanelia"  
  
  
  
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~  
  
  
*Flying... wings, feathers... Van!*  
  
Hitomi blinked, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings of the room she had been sleeping in... she felt the soft, warm material of the sheets tangled in her legs and noticed the shivering light produced by the scented candles resting on the dresser next to the large bed.  
  
She breathed in the sweet smell of incense and turned round so she faced the window in the far east side of the bedroom... if you could call it a bedroom. More like apartment really...  
  
The moon, or more precisely moons, were shining in the dark velvet sky casting an eerie shadow on the person sitting in front of the window...   
  
Hitomi sat up, holding her head with one hand, and tried to see clearly through the thick embroidery of incense smoke that was floating in the room and through her sleepy eyes.  
  
Longish black hair, broad shoulders, red shirt...  
  
"Van?" she called out tentatively...  
  
Van was startled when he heard her sweet voice calling his name and he darted over to her side and sat down on the bed.  
  
"Van, is that you?" another insecure whisper...  
  
Van grabbed her shoulders and held her close and buried his face in her neck...  
  
"It's me Hitomi... it's me." he mumbled into her shoulder as he felt her arms encircle him tightly.  
  
"I missed you..." their voices mixing as one, baritone and soprano voicing the same pain and happiness...  
  
Suddenly she pulled away, eyes frantic with worry...  
  
"Where is she? Where's Ran... she was with me before... Van have you seen her?" she pushed him away and attempted to stand, throwing her legs over the side of his bed...  
  
She started to walk, more like run, towards the door when she felt Van grab her waist and hug her hard.  
  
"It's late Hitomi, she's sleeping in the room next to this one..."  
  
"Van do you know..." she untangled herself from his arms and turned around, liquid green pools melting into ruby, as she looked up into his face...  
  
"Yes... I realized... I'm so sorry..." he hugged her closer, her cheek pressed tightly against his chest.. so tightly she could feel his strong heartbeat... "You had to go through all that alone... I'm sorry..." Hitomi heard his voice echoing in his chest... deep and powerful... She had missed him so much it hurt... physically...  
  
"No matter... you're here with me now... I'm back..."   
  
But her words were cut off by his warm lips pressed against her own in a sweet kiss... in a kiss she had last experienced five years before... she moaned and parted her lips allowing him to seek what he most needed...   
  
He tasted her hungrily, with five years of pent-up emotions fueling his actions... pushing her against the wall and pressing his body against hers... his arms snaking round her waist and holding her even closer, her fingers tangling in his hair and pulling his face down to hers...   
  
Finally they parted, surfacing for air... breathing hard Van stared into Hitomi's eyes, then, noticing her encouraging smile, he pulled his silky shirt over his head tossing it to the floor... then he leaned down kissing her lips, her eyes, her cheeks... his nose grazing her cheekbone, his lips as soft and gentle as feathers as he trailed a path of fire down her neck and to her chest...   
  
She sighed, whispering sweet, meaningless words into his ear as he slowly undid the ties in her white robe parting it to reveal the pale skin of her breasts... the feeling of her hot skin pressed against his own drowning all other senses apart from the feeling of her hands travelling across his chest; slowly, tenderly pushing him backwards towards the bed...   
  
Tripping over his own shirt, Van fell back onto the soft sheets taking Hitomi with him, never breaking their passionate kiss... he groaned as she landed on top of him, pressing him against the mattress her lips kissing his neck...   
  
A sudden gust of wind form the window blew the candles out... the curtains flapping wildly in the cold night's air, the embers of the incense sticks glowing a bright orange in the darkness...   
  
But the two lovers didn't care... for they were safe and warm in each other's arms for the first time since what had seemed eternity...  
  
  
to be continued...  
  
  
Whoa... that was spiraling quickly out of control at the end... ^_~ so I decided to stop it there before I had to give this fic a higher rating... ::coughNC17cough:: I will attempt a lemon once I am sure I can write one... but it probably wont be part of this fic... maybe a prologue... who knows? ^_^   
  
sorry... I wanted to post this yesterday but I had an English essay to write... damn you Shakespeare and all your fricking plays! _  
  
Next chapter out on Sunday... Monday at most   
  
Oh... Disclaimer:  
Esca does not belong to poor, little, ol'me... it belongs to some lucky and _rich_ people out there who were kind enough to share it with the rest of us... Windflowers belongs to me though... so do Ran and Tareel.. so ask if you want to use them in any of your fics!  
  
Luv,   
Serena aka Koneko (who is also busy trying to build a fricking web site for her fricking fanfics but her and HTML don't mix, so it may take a while... _will_ take a while... ^_^)  
  
Please review... and thanks to all the kind readers who reviewed the previous chapters... I don't deserve half the stuff you tell me guys.. I'm flattered! =^.^= ::blush::  
  
Oh.. and by the way…  
Equus means 'horse' in Latin… I figured that if I wanted to give animals weird names I might as well use their Latin equivalent… =^.^=  
  
  
  



	4. Silk and Rose Petals

  
  
Warning: Limeish... again. ^_^  
  
  
  
  
Windflowers...  
  
Chapter 4: Silk and Rose Petals…  
  
  
  
Dawn was breaking in the lush country of Fanelia... the first, timid rays of the spring sun started to shine through the ancient forests that grew around Fanelia Castle. All was silent... only the cheerful chirping of morning birds and the monotonous sound of the windmill's continuous turning permeated the air. The sun shone down on the cold, white stones of the wall making the whole palace shine, allowing it to stand out from the small, dark houses that surrounded it.  
  
A rooster crowed in the distance and another answered his cry, the shrill sound breaking the surreal silence.  
  
The cold breeze ruffled the silky curtains of the royal apartments, blowing some of the scented incense's ashes away from the table and onto the bed's creamy blankets. The sun's rays tentatively entered the bedroom and crept slowly towards the bed, with the intention of waking the two sleeping forms cuddled together under the sheets...  
  
The rhythmic breathing of the two occupants of the room sounding oddly comforting...  
  
Hitomi shivered lightly, the white sheets feeling too cold in contrast with how warm Van's arms were... slowly opening her eyes she gazed lovingly at Van's sleeping face, smiling at the way his hair fell in front of his closed eyelids. It was even worse than she remembered. His hair had grown longer and now reached his shoulders, having come out of the usual ponytail during the previous night's activities...   
  
His tender lips were slightly parted and she found herself fighting against the urge to kiss him awake... but his face looked so tranquil, relaxed, that she decided against it.   
  
Another gush of wind entered the room through the open window and Hitomi shivered again... it was early spring and the air was still chilly... wondering when the window had opened, she attempted to get out of bed and close it but no matter how hard she tried, Van's arms wouldn't budge from around her waist.  
  
Tugging one last time, the only result she obtained was for his grip to tighten further. Sighing in defeat, she decided that maybe snuggling closer to him would provide the warmth she sought. So she did just that.   
  
Her arms tightened round his neck, her face pressed tightly against the firm muscles of his chest, her nose centimeters away from the rosy pendant she had given to him all those years ago.   
  
*He still has it...*  
  
He hadn't forgotten about her, the proof lying there, on a golden chain round his neck.   
  
Tears started welling up in the corners of her emerald eyes and she blinked them away... but one of her crystal tears managed to slide down her cheek and drop on his warm skin, startling him.  
  
Van's reddish eyes snapped open and he gasped as he realized that he was indeed holding Hitomi. He was holding the girl, no woman, he had been dreaming of for the past five years... she was comfortable in his arms, in those arms that would never let go of her again.  
  
She was back.  
  
It was then that he noticed the tears in her eyes and the beautiful smile she reserved only for him...  
  
"Good morning, sire..." she giggled at the last part, her sweet laughter echoing through his sleepy senses, allowing a smile to tug at the corners of his lips.   
  
"Would you kindly allow me to rise and close the window?" another giggle, sounding like crystal bells in his ears.  
  
"Nope... I'm not letting go of you" he smiled, and buried his face in her neck pulling her closer... taking in the feeling of her naked flesh against his chest...  
  
"But it's _cold_ Van!" she complained, but he felt her arms tighten round his neck, her fingers tangling in his silky hair.  
  
"Well, I'll have to warm you up then..." he replied, placing a feather-like kiss on the tender skin behind her ear... nibbling kisses down her neck, his hands pressing her closer as she sighed softly...  
  
His rough fingers played on her back, pushing her down against the mattress as he kicked the cold sheets from his legs and sat up...  
  
Turning her head to one side, letting her cheek rest against the soft pillow, she peered questioningly at him as he started kneading her shoulders gently... his strong hands expertly relaxing her muscles as she closed her eyes in contentment...   
  
"Your blouse was ripped Hitomi... you didn't hurt yourself did you?" he asked softly as he traced her shoulder blades with his fingers, admiring the texture of her flawless skin, checking for bruises or tender spots.  
  
*My blouse was... my blouse was ripped? Ripped on the back? That means... that means...*  
  
Hitomi suddenly pushed herself up on her knees, knocking Van off balance...  
  
"Van... I dreamt... I dreamt of flying... but it means... it wasn't..."  
  
Van stared at Hitomi in confusion, watching as various emotions played on her face.   
  
Confusion, bewilderment, fear, shock. Her eyes went wide as her mind registered the fact that she had _not_ been imagining it.   
  
She had... she had wings.  
  
"Van... I... I..." she stuttered, unable to find the words to explain what had happened the day before in the park...   
  
Van took her in his arms, hugging her close... and buried his face in her hair, inhaling slowly, wondering what had managed to scare her so... that was until he felt, more than saw, soft feathers falling from the pure white wings that had suddenly spurted from Hitomi's back.   
  
His gentle eyes widened in shock as she moved away so she could stare into his face, her wings wrapping around her body, Hitomi feeling suddenly shy under his gaze.   
  
"W... what! How!"  
  
"It just... sort of happened I guess... yesterday... I wished... I wished to get to Ran before she disappeared and... And suddenly I had wings..." she turned away, unable to look into his eyes... unable to face his reaction.   
  
"Mother... mother was right!" came the strangled reply from the other side of the bed...  
  
"Your mother? Wh..." she faced his way again and gasped when she found herself staring into the eyes she knew so well, their noses touching, Van's warm breath on her lips, his silky hair brushing against her cheeks...  
  
Van grasped Hitomi's hands tightly with his bigger ones, stroking her palms with his rough fingers...  
  
"Mother told me... she told me when I was very little. Told me never to show my wings until I found another like me... until I found my 'other half' you could say if you wanted to be cheesy... I found you Hitomi... I knew it then and I know it now... we... we belong together... " Saying that he let his own wings unfurl from his broad shoulders, wrapping them around both himself and his lover, holding her close to his chest... afraid, afraid she might be taken away from him again...  
  
Hitomi sat there, taking in what she had just acknowledged.   
  
She had angel-like wings, like Van.   
  
She was a Draconian, like Van.  
  
"Van..." but she was cut off by his warm lips before she could say anything else.   
  
What _was_ she going to say anyway? There was nothing more to add. Nothing more.   
  
Just Van.  
  
Van and his kisses, his touch, his voice, his scent...  
  
Lowering her down to the bed Van broke their kiss to stare into her eyes once again, making sure she was comfortable lying on her wings... making sure she wanted him just as much as he needed her...   
  
"I wonder how making love to an angel is like..." he smiled, bringing his lips to her neck...  
  
"I know. It's wonderful..." came Hitomi's soft answer as she let her eyelids drop, drowning the entire outside world, concentrating on Van.  
  
Just Van...  
  
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~  
  
Tareel stretched as she walked leisurely towards Lord Van's room... holding her harp with one hand and her gown with the other, she gazed out of the window and at the crowded streets of Fanelia... Waking up Lord Van with her music every morning had become a habit of hers...  
  
But she had overslept... Lord Van was probably awake already, awake and bored to tears while listening to her father speak about political matters she knew he didn't enjoy... on second thoughts... her father would probably be able to bore him even talking about sword fights... she shook her head cheerfully. Her father, Lord Burnel, was one of the advisors of the King... a trusted advisor with heavy responsibilities on his shoulders... responsibilities her King didn't need...  
  
Reaching the left wing of the large castle, where the King's apartments were located, she sped up and knocked on the large oak door that gave to the royal bedchambers... receiving no answer she slowly slid the door open thinking Lord Van had already left. She entered the room lazily, slowly closing the thick, wooden panes behind her.... Satisfied when she heard a metal click echoing through the silent room.   
  
She liked Lord Van's room... it was clean and sunny... and it smelled of him... Noticing that the flowers on the dresser had wilted she made a note to herself to go and pick some more that after noon after, her music lesson...  
  
Music lessons... they were enjoyable and Lord Van approved of them... but she felt like she knew most of the things Sir Revel, the old court bard, taught her... Tareel frowned... she was acting too sure of herself again... she had lots more to learn. That's what her father always told her... when he encouraged her to go and play the harp for Lord Van...  
  
Walking into the inner rooms of the apartment she noticed a neatly folded garment resting on a chair... Suddenly curious, she picked it up and studied it... It _looked_ like a skirt... but she couldn't be sure of it... It looked _way_ too short... probably reached above the knee... Wondering what female could wear something that actually showed her legs... a part from Lady Merle that is... Tareel shook her head in disapproval, and folded the piece of clothing...  
  
The reason Lord Van owned such an unusual item was beyond her comprehension... and she quickly forgot about it as she eyed the window next to the bed. The curtains were flapping gently in the now warm breeze, as she closed the windowpanes... grimacing as the glass squeaked unpleasantly...   
  
Hearing the distant sounds of the maids' chatter in the large bathroom next to the bedroom, she realized that Lord Van must not have yet awoken, for the maids were still preparing the morning bath... She slowly turned round and fixed her gaze on the bundle under the blankets, lying in the middle of the bed...  
  
On the unusually _big_ bundle...  
  
Yet, something was even stranger: long, sandy blond hair was peering out from under the white sheets...  
  
She eeped as she realized that there were two people cuddled together: Lord Van and a woman.   
  
Startled by the sudden sound the bundle stirred and a familiar face appeared from under the blankets...   
  
"Tareel?" he asked, squinting to see clearly the form that was standing in front of the window...  
  
Tareel blushed, because she had been caught red-handed spying... but mostly because Lord Van was now sitting up... and his broad chest was not covered by the usual black robe. It wasn't covered by anything at all.  
  
"W... who is it Van?"   
  
Came a sweet, soprano voice from somewhere buried beneath the warm blankets, but Tareel couldn't see who it was for she had fixed her gaze on an undetermined object outside the window.   
  
"Y... yes... it's me, Lord Van." she stuttered, her voice breaking.   
  
"It's just Tareel, Hitomi."  
  
Despite her embarrassment, Tareel's eyes widened... *Hitomi? Where had she heard that unusual name before?*  
  
"It's ok Tareel, you can turn round. We're decent." the last part was said with a slightly amused tone she had never heard Lord Van use before... it made his voice sound even more beautiful.  
  
Shaking her head she faced the couple... noticing that the woman was blushing a brilliant red as she was doing up the last ties on the front of her white robe, and that Lord Van was wearing his usual night clothes.  
  
Then Tareel's deep black eyes stared into Hitomi's green ones and she realized... realized that she was the woman from Lord Van's paintings.  
  
"You... you're real!" she blurted out. Hitomi looked clueless and Van just cocked an eyebrow at the weird statement...  
  
"I mean... well... ah, nothing!" Tareel blushed again, lowering her gaze to the ground, suddenly finding her bare feet very interesting...   
  
"This is Tareel Burnel, daughter of one of my advisors and one of the most amazing harp players I have ever heard..." he told Hitomi... then, turning towards the younger girl... "And this is Hitomi Kanzaki..."  
  
An embarrassed silence followed, the situation they were in making the presentations pretty awkward...   
  
Tareel was the first to break the silence... "I'm glad you're back... preserver of peace." with that she flashed a sincere smile and bowed low.   
  
"What... I don't... I'm not..." Hitomi stuttered, blushing again...  
  
"You are..." and with that Tareel ran towards the door whispering a "make him happy..." under her breath, so quietly that neither Van nor Hitomi heard her request...  
  
The couple stared after the fleeing girl for a moment until the heavy, oak door slammed shut.   
  
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~  
  
The water of the bath was a tad hotter than what she was used to, but Hitomi relaxed and leaned back against the edge of what seemed a small swimming pool. Light was streaming in through the colored glass panes of the windows, causing little rainbows to form on the ripples in the water... She lightly fingered one of the rose petals that were floating on the surface of the water, along with the soapsuds from whatever substance the woman that was washing her hair had used...  
  
The maids had given her weird looks as soon as she had entered the bathroom.. Just after Van had rushed out of the room claiming he was _extremely_ late for the daily meeting. Hitomi sighed... being a King required certain responsibilities.   
  
But the young women had soon grown accustomed to her presence and had offered to help her wash. Now that had been embarrassing. But she guessed she might as well get used to the local custom that royal female guests weren't supposed to wash alone...   
  
The women had resumed their cheerful chatter soon after... and their soft voices were a pleasant company...   
  
"Lady Hitomi?" one of the maids asked tentatively...  
  
"Uh-huh?"  
  
"I've finished washing your hair..." she smiled a gentle smile and poured the remnants of the clean water over Hitomi's head.  
  
Noticing that one of the maids was standing by the side of the bathtub holding a fluffy white towel, Hitomi sighed and stood up, exiting the warm water and stepping out of the tub. Immediately the towel was wrapped around her body and another woman started drying her long hair.   
  
With smiles and gentle words, the maids had coaxed her into standing in front of a dressing table in Van's room, happy that they were finally able to do their job. Attend a woman while she dressed.   
  
They wrapped Hitomi in a thin, white robe that reached past her ankles... and over that they made her wear a mauve colored kimono-like dress, tied round the waist by a golden sash. It's sleeves reached down way past her hands and she had to pull them up, the silky material leaving her shoulders bare... Then they sat her down and started brushing her long blond hair. Whatever that woman had used had made her hair so silky that they had difficulties holding it up with one of Van's mother's ornamental combs, so they had to use pins strategically positioned, so they were invisible in the final result.  
  
Hitomi was starting to enjoy the attention as she joined in with the maids' chatter... When they were finally finished, Hitomi barely recognized herself as the woman that was staring back at her from the full-length mirror that hung from the wall.  
  
She looked... well she looked like a queen.   
  
The maids exited the room still chatting happily, promising to return the following day, and Hitomi was left alone.  
  
Scanning the wide room, she looked for a door that lead to an adjoining bedchamber... just like Van had told her the day before. After unsuccessfully trying a couple of doors she finally found the one that led her to a small, sunny room. In the middle of this room was a bed, and sleeping peacefully in that bed was Ran...  
  
Hitomi started walking towards the bed when, with a smile, she realized that a familiar looking cat-girl was already watching over her sleeping daughter...  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
This was one _long_ chapter... I hope that will be enough to beg your forgiveness for posting this so late... ^_^  
  
I hope to have the next chapter out sooner... especially since I am now on holiday! YAY! Cough... neway  
  
Disclaimer:  
You know this, why do I keep having to repeat myself? :: sigh...:: Escaflowne does not belong to me. It never did and it never will... happy now? ^_^  
  
I'm too tired to write anything coherent at the moment so I'll leave this here...  
  
I seriously love you guys!  
  
If I don't post anything before the twelfth this is also to remind you to celebrate Van-sama's twentieth birthday on Thursday!!!!!!!!!! (well he was 15 in 1996 so... ^_^) I think I'll be giving him some spare red shirts or ::coughMYSELFcough:: ^_^  
  
neway... thank you everybody!   
  
luv  
Koneko Kamiya / De Fanel =^.^=  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Apple Blossoms and Ivory Combs

  
  
Windflowers...   
  
Chapter 5: Apple Blossoms and Ivory Combs  
  
Version 4... yes... I've rewritten this chapter four times... my computer just doesn't want to save it or it crashes while I'm half way through... forgive me if it's crappy... I'm just sick and tired of rewriting it... _  
  
  
  
Van closed the door silently behind him and sighed... his advisors had given him a hard time about his late arrival to the meeting or, more precisely, about the reasons why he had been late... Amused chuckles had greeted him when he entered the meeting hall, chuckles and comments on how he made his father proud, thoroughly embarrassing him... and they didn't know half the story...  
  
He couldn't believe it himself but he had a daughter... a daughter that was four rotations old, a beautiful baby girl with raven hair and ruby eyes. An adorable, cheerful and trusting girl... just like her mother...   
  
Hitomi...  
  
His thoughts wandered to the young woman he had missed so much... not only had she come back into his life but had given him a family... just staring into her eyes made him scream at himself for letting her go all those years before... everything would have been much easier, Hitomi wouldn't have had to suffer alone because of him and he especially wouldn't have to explain to the people of Fanelia that they now had a four year old princess...   
  
Would the people accept Hitomi as their queen? And, more importantly, would they accept Ran as the heir of Fanelia's throne? It didn't help that Ran was female... but until he had a male child they would have to accept her as the kings only heir... Hitomi was a descendant of the people from the Mystic Moon, that was common knowledge... but nobody knew she was a Draconian, and he hoped nobody would ever find out... too many problems... he was a Draconian himself and he didn't think that they would accept the royal family to be full-blooded Atlantians...   
  
But Hitomi was too important... there was nothing anyone could do to make him change his mind. He was going to ask her to marry him and make her queen of Fanelia and all the consequences be damned... But only if she wanted to he reminded himself...  
  
What if she said no?   
  
*Don't be absurd, Van Fanel! Why would she refuse? She loves you, and she loves our daughter... she wouldn't do anything to cause her pain...*   
  
Van smiled at the memory of Ran's stunned expression when he had told her he was her father... and how much happiness that "I would have asked mama to marry you anyway... I've always wanted a dad like you" and the smile that followed those words brought to him... he had just hugged the little girl to his chest while she cried... That was one of the moments in his life he would never forget... the bitterness of the past minutes had vanished in an instant as soon as Ran had thrown herself in his arms...  
  
Being a father was nice, he decided.   
  
But still, he had too many responsibilities as a King now... he needed to make sure that they all approved of his marriage... especially his advisors and the elders.   
  
Walking down the corridor he gazed dreamily out of the windows that faced the palace gardens... They were in full bloom since the spring solstice had already been celebrated... Clouds of pale pink, white and yellow flowers decorated the lush trees of the gardens, their delicate colors a strong contrast with the lush green grass, whose tender stalks bent gently in the morning breeze. Crystal water flowed noisily in a small creek that crawled through the tall trees... it's rippling surface covered in fallen petals, the blossoms spiraling on the water, painting it with rainbows... the water tinged with silver when one of the small fish that populated the creek surfaced...   
  
"You surprise me Lord Van"  
  
Van whirled round, startled, his face an inscrutable mask when he realized who it was...  
  
"I have been offering you Tareel's hand in marriage for the last three summers, your majesty, but you've always refused... and now, and now I find out you have a lover... how improper of a King to get caught with a common whore by his own maids..." Burnel smirked at Van's barely contained fury...  
  
"The one you just addressed to as a 'common whore' Sir Burnel, is Hitomi Kanzaki... I presume you know what her role in the Great War was..."   
  
"Oh... of course... your childhood sweetheart if I'm not mistaken..." another unpleasant smirk...  
  
"Yes, my 'childhood sweetheart', who also happens to be the mother of my daughter..."   
  
Burnel's smirk turned into a frown...  
  
"Are you certain that you are the father of the child your majesty? This lady could be deceiving you to ensure her position as mother of Fanelia's heir... was that the reason you kept refusing Tareel?"  
  
"Tareel is just a child... I wasn't refusing her. I was refusing your ambition Burnel"  
  
Burnel shrugged the accusation off and continued...  
  
"Tareel is old enough to bear your child Lord Van... a child whom we would be certain to be your rightful heir..."  
  
"That's enough! I'm certain of the fact that Ran is my daughter... I trust Hitomi and I trust myself. Is that clear to you Burnel? I disapprove of this... this haggle! You would stoop as low as prostituting your own daughter... it's appalling. There will be no more of this! Understood?" Van's hand tightened on his sword, feeling the cold metal respond under his grip... he was tempted... too tempted.  
  
Therefore he just turned away and left... ignoring Burnel's sarcastic answer... an answer that held a threatening meaning to his words... "I'll do whatever is best for Fanelia..."  
  
Like anything Burnel ever did had some benefit for anyone but himself... the problem was that Sir Burnel had been one of his father's advisors and was trusted by all the other members of the royal council not to mention the elders all over the country.  
  
Van sighed... this could be a problem.  
  
He had his hands tied... could do nothing when this man appeared after the Great War bringing an unhappy looking Tareel with him and couldn't do anything now... but if he dared touch Hitomi or Ran there would be nothing stopping Van from murdering him. Absolutely nothing...   
  
Poor Tareel... she never said anything about her mother... wondering who could marry a man with Burnel's personality, so cold and calculating, Van clenched his fists in anger...  
  
*Damn*  
  
Van realized that his feet had taken him to the gardens when he found himself stepping onto the damp grass... inhaling the sweet scent of the blossoms Van trudged silently towards his favorite spot... he had some thinking to do.  
  
But when he reached the ancient apple tree he was rewarded with the most beautiful scene he had ever seen in his life...  
  
Hitomi was sitting cross legged under a shower of apple blossoms, her mauve dress left her slender shoulders bare... her neck seemed paler than ever in contrast with the golden strands of her hair that were cascading down into her lap... the shadows were playing on her soft curves as the breeze gently ruffled the pale green leaves of the tree causing more blossom to spiral to the ground and into the creek that flowed next to her...   
  
But the most amazing sight was the little girl that was sitting next to her, with a look of pure adoration on her tanned features. Ran was facing her mother, clothed in a pale yellow dress, closed on the front with a silken bow that she was tugging at... at the same time Hitomi was brushing the little girl's hair with a delicate ivory comb... the pearl color of the ornament was accentuated by Ran's raven hair. Van recognized that comb... it once belonged to his mother... he could remember every detail of it. The missing tooth that he had broken when he was young, the faded flowers painted on its surface... the flowers his mother couldn't name...  
  
"Van!"   
  
Van looked up and noticed the tenderness in Hitomi's eyes as she smiled at him and therefore smiled back...   
  
"How are my girls doing today?"  
  
"Papa!"   
  
Ran flew towards her father and thew herself in his arms, giggling as he picked her up and sat her on his shoulder. The weight of the little girl felt so familiar to him that he sighed loudly... but then smiled when Ran's arms tightened round his neck...  
  
"How did the meeting go papa? Was it boring?"   
  
Van carefully sat down next to Hitomi and wrapped his free arm round her waist as he settled Ran in his lap... Ran giggled again.   
  
"Nothing out of ordinary honey... meaning, yes it was very boring"  
  
This time Ran laughed out loud and Hitomi smiled, resting her head on Van's shoulder...  
  
"I'm jealous Lord Van... I leave for five minutes and there you are! Cuddling up to two beautiful girls..."  
  
Van smirked at his long time playmate... Merle had grown a lot taller during the last five rotations, she now reached his nose which was a lot, since Hitomi forehead barely reached his shoulder... she had also let her hair fall out of the usual cut, now she had a thick strawberry colored braid reaching halfway down her back... but her eyes were still the same, bright blue cheerful orbs, shimmering with curiosity as she walked towards the happy family... he smirked again as he realized she still hadn't dropped the habit of wearing short dresses, much to every other lady in the castle's annoyance...  
  
"Merle, auntie!"  
  
Merle visibly tensed at being called auntie, but just smiled at Ran as she walked up to them...   
  
"Come on Princess, I promised I'd take you to visit the castle didn't I?" with that she grabbed Ran's wrist and gently disentangled her from Van's lap...  
  
"But... but..." Ran tugged, but Merle's grip didn't loosen...  
  
"Leave mom and dad alone for a while... they have a lot to talk about..."  
  
"But I want to talk to papa too!"  
  
"Don't be stubborn brat!" the words were harsh but the tone was not... the brat was said in a very affectionate way as Merle dragged Ran away from the giggling couple...  
  
"She hasn't changed one bit..." Hitomi's words were punctuated with a wistful smile...   
  
"You haven't either..." Van answered as he tightened his hold round Hitomi's waist and buried his face in her hair...   
  
"You have... I don't remember you being so forward the first time we met!" Hitomi giggled as Van nibbled at her earlobe, trailing kisses down to her bare shoulders...  
  
"I thought you were in love with Allen at the time..."  
  
"Well, you were wrong... we were both wrong..."  
  
"I'm glad..."   
  
And with that the couple fell into a comfortable silence, broken only by the sounds of the water and of the wind the blew between the tall trees of the garden, rustling the blossoms and creating something that resembled a snowfall...   
  
Hitomi nestled in Van's lap as she wrapped herself in his warm cape, snuggling against his tanned shoulders... Van's hands were busy for he was twisting some pale blue flowers into a delicate garland... he was used to this sort of things... his brother had taught him when he was very young... before... before his life fell apart in the space of a couple of months...   
  
His arms tightened round Hitomi... crushing her to his chest...  
  
"Van?" she asked, surprised.  
  
"Don't you ever leave me, Hitomi... please... I wouldn't bear to live another day without you by my side... please"  
  
Those words were whispered in her ear as she pulled herself up, wrapping her arms round his neck, hugging him close wishing to comfort his wounded soul... too much pain. He had had to live with too much grief, too many responsibilities...  
  
"I'm not going anywhere Van..." she murmured into his lips as she kissed him softly, staring into his eyes to seal her promise as their lips met.   
  
Van pulled back too soon, but anything shorter than an eternity wouldn't have been enough for Hitomi...   
  
"Hitomi... I... I don't have any ring to give to you... nothing would be able to represent how important you are to me... but... would you... would you be my queen?" those words were uttered from the depths of his soul, a soul that was completely sincere as his eyes burned into hers...  
  
Tears started trickling down Hitomi's cheeks as she nodded, smiling... finally, she burst out crying when Van rested the fragile garland on her head, caressing her golden hair in the process... stroking her cheek he caught her lips in another kiss...   
  
A kiss she gleefully deepened as his fingers left her cheek to trail down her dress, finally resting at the base of her spine crushing her to him...   
  
As he moaned her name softly into her mouth, Hitomi realized she had finally found the eternity she sought...  
  
  
  
~to be continued~   
  
Yay! Sorry it took so long to post but my computer is such an idiot! It deleted all this fic twice and crashed the third time... so this is Windflowers, chap 5 version 4 ... _ I wanted to write something more but rewriting this chapter out for the fourth time drained all my energy... ::sigh::  
  
  
neway! ^_^  
  
Hope you enjoyed, please review... I love you guys! *_*  
  
Disclaimer: Esca does not belong to me: Ran, Tareel and Burnel do though... so no stealing onegai shimasu! ^_^  
  
luv  
Koneko Kamiya  
  
  
P.S.  
Yes, there will be a twist in the plot in the next few chapters... Life is not just fluffy romance so stay tuned! ^_~  
  
  



	6. Thunder and Periwinkles

Warning: yes, you could consider this lime, but I guess you should know me by now… ^_^  
  
  
  
Windflowers...  
By: Koneko Kamiya =^.^=  
  
Chapter 6: Thunder and Periwinkles  
  
  
  
  
Hitomi slid off Van's lap and stared at his face... his eyes were closed, and he was breathing heavily through his slightly parted lips. She subconsciously licked her own lips, the afternoon breeze feeling icy cold in contrast with how hot Van's mouth had been.   
  
She wanted to taste him again, so she leaned forward but he pulled back grinning. A childish pout decorated her adult features as he stood up and stretched. He then turned round to face her once more and pulled her off the ground and into his arms... Hitomi eeped in surprise and threw her arms round his neck, holding on tight...  
  
"What? Are you afraid I'll drop you?" Van asked with a smirk.  
  
Hitomi shook her head but her arms refused to budge from his neck as he started walking in the direction of the palace, eyeing the darkening sky.   
  
Dark clouds were chasing each other in the sky, pulled into that endless dance by the strong winds that had suddenly risen. Hitomi watched the light and shadow play on Van's features as the sun hid behind the clouds, only to appear again when a stronger gust of wind blew from the far away ocean...   
  
If Hitomi strained her senses she could smell the distinct scent of coming rain... the scent that foreshadowed the coming of a storm. Her hair was whipping wildly behind her as she snuggled closer to Van's warm skin, listening to the comforting sound of his steady heartbeat...  
  
The first drops of rain hit them as the emerged from the orchard and walked into the open grass... the meadow looked like the sea, as the silver stalks of the tall grasses rippled like waves during a tempest... the last, brave blossoms from the flowering trees flew towards them, finally drowning into that wild ocean...  
  
"Van, wait!"  
  
Van was surprised as he felt Hitomi struggle in his arms so he gently placed her on her feet... and stared after her when he saw her run back towards the trees throwing "I'll be back in a minute" over her bare shoulder... he stood there motionless as the wind whipped cruelly around him, finally sighing and running after his bride-to-be...   
  
Hitomi held up her long gown as she ran towards the ancient apple tree, her bare feet treading softly against the damp ground... feeling the warm earth through her toes she hiked her silken skirts higher above her ankles...  
  
When she reached the ancient tree she rested her palms against the surface of the rough bark on the tree trunk for a moment... regaining her breath, she bent down and her eyes scanned the ground around the twisted roots... and amidst the fallen petals she spotted the ivory ornament she had dropped... her hand reached for the comb, her fingers tracing the complicate floral design engraved on it's surface...  
  
She was about to walk away when her gaze casually fell onto a delicate garland... the garland Van had made for her. Her hand flew to her head as she realized the obvious, it had slid off her hair as she and Van had kissed... tucking the comb in her hair she picked the flowers up and touched them lovingly... the blue periwinkles only slightly rumpled by the wind and rain... she brought the flowers to her lips and placed a light kiss on the silky azure petals...   
  
She nearly dropped them as she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist and kisses as delicate as the sun's rays trail from her ear to her shoulders...  
  
"I'd prefer you'd kiss me, Hitomi..." Van whispered huskily...  
  
She turned round and pressed her lips to his and after agonizingly slow moments she deepened their kiss.  
  
And the rain started pouring down around them...  
  
Heavy drops fell from the heavens, shimmering as they flew through the cool spring air, catching the sun's last light before the luminous orb finally disappeared behind the ashen clouds... the deafening sound of the falling rain drowned the cheerful flowing of the creek, the rain drops disrupting the surface of the water...  
  
They attacked the defenseless blossoms and tore them from the shaking branches, causing them to crash to the ground, tingeing it white...   
  
Van finally pulled back drawing in the much needed air... but each breath reminded him of how close Hitomi's lips were to his own... and it took him all his willpower not to lean forwards and taste her...  
  
Her wet hair was darker than normal, the silky strands matted to her damp forehead... rain drops trickling down her cheeks to her jawbone and down her neck, like crystal spheres crawling slowly towards the ground... her smile was as radiant as ever as the rain drops rested calmly on her slightly parted lips, her green eyes hidden by her bangs...  
  
Van reached up and brushed her hair away from her eyes and then dropped his hand to hold hers, his fingers interlacing with her paler ones, giving security and warmth... he tugged gently and, with a smile, he pulled her into a run towards the castle's white walls...  
  
They had not noticed the wide dark eyes, that peered sadly at them through the wet leaves of the garden's bushes... and the choked sobs that followed.  
  
  
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~  
  
  
A rosy blush colored Van's cheeks as he slowly undid the golden sash that held Hitomi's kimono shut, his fingers trembling as he untied the loose bow, the wet silk feeling heavy in his hands...   
  
The sash fell to the cold stone floor, but the wet fabric of Hitomi's dress clung to her curves tenaciously. She shivered despite the hot steam that was rising from the scented water of the bath, the only sounds echoing through the large room were the monotonous dripping of the water from the faucet and the pelting of the rain at the windows...  
  
Van peeled the mauve silk from Hitomi's body and shrugged his own garments off... he heard Hitomi hiss in pain as she dipped her small feet into the hot water and slowly sat into the bath, her skin flushed. He entered the water and groaned at the sudden change in temperature, he felt his skin tingle as the cold left his body being replaced by sudden, painful warmth...  
  
Adjusting to the temperature of the water he leaned back and wrapped an arm round Hitomi's waist as she rested against his chest... but her hair was drenched with the cold rain and the drops that fell on his neck felt like ice to his flushed skin... he sighed loudly and then cupped his hands together gathering some of the hot water and poured it over her head, earning a shrill shriek of surprise from Hitomi...  
  
She frowned and splashed him... then giggled as he shielded his eyes from the scalding droplets...  
  
"Why you..."  
  
Van retaliated quickly with a smile, squirting some water towards her which she dodged smirking... soon they were locked in a water fight, their laughter ringing in the air...  
  
Until Hitomi found herself straddling him, her arms interlaced round his neck and her lips crushed against his... Van's fingers urging her closer, craving for the feeling of her hot skin pressed against his own... soon enough, the heat of the water was forgotten in favor of the mutual passion they shared...  
  
Outside the steamy glass of the windows, the rain fell harder... trickling down the stone walls, washing away the warmth of the sunlight. The sky darkened further, thunder echoing through the lush forests and the rural towns of Fanelia...  
  
  
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~  
  
The royal bedroom was dark, the flicker of the candles weak against the blackness of the night...   
  
"Do you miss them?"   
  
Hitomi answered with something that could have been anything between a "huh?" and a groan...  
  
"Your family, I mean..."  
  
Van tightened his hold on Hitomi as one of his hands tenderly caressed her damp hair... but his movements conveyed the fear he felt. If her answer was positive, he would never be able to get rid of the nagging voice of his conscience...   
  
"No." After endless moments her voice rang clear through the room...  
  
"No?" Van released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding...  
  
"No... I am no longer part of that family." Hitomi stared at the dark sky, searching for the twin moons, with a wistful smile...  
  
"Is it because you feel compelled to stay here?"  
  
Hitomi shook her head sadly, her hair rustling against the smooth pillow as she turned to face her lover, nuzzling his neck...  
  
"They disowned me... because I refused, I refused to get rid of Ran"  
  
Van's eyes went wide in shock and his arms let go of her waist, but Hitomi grabbed them and forced him to hold her, snuggling closer to his body...  
  
"They wanted me to kill her before she was even born, Van. They didn't understand what she meant to me... everybody thought I was delusional at the time. To justify my absence I decided to tell my mother about what happened.... Gaea, grandma, Atlantis and all the rest. She didn't believe me, she thought I had gone mad or something... They gave me counseling to 'get rid of that bad experience, honey'..." Hitomi snorted, as Van just registered her words...  
  
"Of course it didn't work. Then I found out I was pregnant... Dad threw a fit and decided that if I didn't get rid of the baby he'd kick me out of the house... but when I told my family it was already too late, thank God... So they decided I would give birth to the baby and then let him be adopted by some other family... Ran was born in May and I steadfastly refused to let them take her away from my sight... In the end, father did throw me out of the house... 'dishonoring the family' he said... At first I stayed at Yukari's house, you know... the red headed girl?" Van nodded and Hitomi continued   
  
"But she grew tired of being associated with the 'weird teenage-mother'. Of course, she didn't tell me that but it became obvious after a while... I found a job and a place of my own... it was difficult, I didn't even have a High School diploma, but a kind old lady let me stay at her house if I did the chores and took care of her... Ran calls, called her, Granny... she doesn't know anything of what happened before... and I pray she never does know..."  
  
"I haven't seen my family since, but twice a year... on my birthday and on Ran's... we get, got, presents. From my brother"   
  
Hitomi smiled through the tears that had silently began to fall down her cheeks and onto Van's chest... The room was silent, the loud rumble of thunder the only sound that could be heard... after a while Van managed to croak out the pain he felt in his soul...   
  
"It's all my fault, I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have forced you to..."  
  
Hitomi cut him off before he could finish his sentence, placing a delicate finger on his lips...  
  
"Shh... you didn't force me to do anything, love. We decided together didn't we? It's not your fault, please don't blame yourself... if you want to blame someone blame your future in-laws..." she said with a painful smile.   
  
"But you had to... they wanted to..."   
  
Hitomi wrapped her arms tighter round his warm body, burying her face in his shoulder where he wouldn't see her tears... but he felt them, trickling down his back and soaking both the pillow and the black, silk robe he was wearing... Not knowing what to say Van just held her close as she cried silently...  
  
Lightening struck the ground not far away from the castle, and for a brief moment it lit up the sky... Van managed to notice the door opening and a small figure entering the room before thunder crashed, the windowpanes rattled loudly and the figure shrieked in panic...  
  
"Ran?" Van sat up slowly, carefully disentangling Hitomi sleeping arms from his neck... she promptly sighed and rolled closer...  
  
"Papa I'm scared" came a tiny voice from the darkness...  
  
Van smiled lightly as the room was lit once more by the bright light in the distance...  
  
"Can I sleep with you and mama tonight?" said Ran as she pulled herself up on the large bed... Van anticipated her and picked her up, cradling her to his chest...  
  
Thunder boomed loudly and Ran cried out again, her lithe frame trembling uncontrollably...   
  
"Of course, honey..." he laid her on the bed between himself and Hitomi... Hitomi sleepily hugged the little girl and murmured soothing words in her ear and Ran visibly relaxed...  
  
"Sorry, papa... I've lost my teddy bear and I was lonely..." Ran said guiltily, her words muddled as she suppressed a yawn...  
  
Van smiled again, a broad fatherly smile...   
  
"We'll look for your teddy tomorrow ok?"   
  
Ran nodded and in seconds her body relaxed against her mother's, her breaths regular and a smile lingered on her innocent features... Van wrapped his arms round both his lover and his daughter, content to be able to protect them this way... the pangs of guilt gradually subsided as he fell into a dreamless sleep...  
  
  
to be continued...  
  
::brushes her teeth:: I'm getting cavities... most of the stuff in this chapter was sweet, plot-less, FLUFF!   
  
::sigh:: ...I'm trying to get these chapters out of the way ASAP... I'm looking forward to writing the more interesting chapters ahead... ::broad smile:: but I hope you enjoyed the mindless fluff anyway... ^_^   
  
next chapter out ASAP (got tired of writing next week... I'm never able to use that as a deadline anyway... ::sweatdrop::)  
  
Disclaimer: Escaflowne does not belong to me... Ran, Tareel and Burnel (there will be more, trust me... ^_^) do though... so does the plot...   
  
please review!!! (they do make me type faster... ^_^)  
  
luv Koneko-chan  
  
P.S.  
yes, I think I was too mean to poor Hitomi too, but I'm the author and I can do that... ^o^  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. 

Windflowers...  
  
Chapter 7: Teddy Bears and Memories  
by: Koneko Kamiya  
  
  
  
It had stopped raining just before dawn. Dark clouds loomed threateningly over the wet city, blocking away the much-needed warmth. Birds were chirping noisily, an undertone of melancholy in their sweet songs. They missed the sun, missed the comforting presence of the bright, warm rays shining down on Fanelia. They sat huddled together, their feathers puffed up to keep the cold breeze at bay, staring at the drops of water that fell from the weathered tiles on the roofs of Fanelia...   
  
Hitomi stared too... One hand pressed against the cold glass of the window, the other playing with a strand of her golden hair. She stood tall in front of the balcony, her thin body wrapped in a linen robe, the white material feeling rough against her skin. One of her toes traced a crease in the smooth, wooden floor, while her eyes wandered over the houses of Van's country.  
  
It was quite late, but the rain had managed to silence the city... washing away sounds with its endless flowing. The only sound echoing through Fanelia seemed to be the low growl of thunder. The ashen clouds forbid her to see the top of the mountains that surrounded Fanelia, all she could admire were the lush forests, now dripping with cold spring rain.   
  
One of her fingers followed the intricate design of a wandering raindrop lost on the glass, while her eyes momentarily ignored her surroundings and concentrated on her reflection. Her face appeared confused between the dark sky and the brick red walls of the houses... her wide green eyes wandering over her familiar features searching for a difference in her usual expression.  
  
For five years her rare smiles had been reserved for her daughter, her tears only for him. Calling him, craving for the sound of his voice, craving for his touch... but now, now it was different. Her needs satisfied, she found herself smiling, laughing even. A finger slowly crept towards her face, watching the image mirror her amidst the raindrops, and lingered on her cherry red lips.   
  
Hitomi smiled.  
  
She liked the way the corners of her lips twitched upwards, the way her eyes shone with suppressed laughter.   
  
"Lady Hitomi"  
  
The voice was no louder than a whisper, but it destroyed the fragile spell that silence had cast in the room.   
  
Hitomi found herself staring at Tareel's reflection standing next to her own; a pleasant smile painted on her still childish features. Her ruby red lips a sharp contrast with the paleness of her face, her dark eyes deep and understanding, half hidden by her dark brown bangs. The golden earrings jingling softly as she looked right into Hitomi's startled eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry, Lady Hitomi"  
  
"Whatever for Tareel?"   
  
The younger woman directed her gaze at the floor, her features completely hidden behind her silky hair.   
  
"I came to wake Lord Van up... It slipped my mind that you..." she trailed off, finding no reason to state the obvious...  
  
"It's alright. But I think it's better to let him rest today..." Hitomi looked at the mountains again, and sighed softly "... it seems that the whole of Fanelia is asleep. The rain washed away all worries and sadness... if only the sun would shine again it would be perfect"  
  
"Lady Hitomi, would you mind if I played for you?" Dark, questioning eyes burned into reflected green.  
  
Hitomi smiled, and turned round to face Tareel.  
  
"I'd love to listen to your harp... but could you help me get dressed first? I can't fasten the sash that closes my dress, the knot is too complicated..." Hitomi finished the sentence with a slight blush...  
  
Tareel smiled kindly, a smile that finally lifted the veil of sadness from her black eyes...  
  
"I'd love to help, my Lady."  
  
"Please, drop the 'lady'. I'm not that much older than you!" Hitomi smiled encouragingly as Tareel led her to the dressing table.  
  
"But you are my King's choice in wife, and that makes you my Queen, Lady Hitomi. It would be very disrespectful..."   
  
"How do you..."   
  
"My father." Tareel interrupted Hitomi's stuttered question. "He informed me... I am very happy for both you and Lord Van, Lady Hitomi"  
  
Then she smiled brightly; recognizing the silent thanks in Hitomi's embarrassed eyes. Tareel cocked her head to one side and gave a final tug at the red bow fastening Hitomi's dress. Then both women left, their silk gowns rustling softly around their bare feet as they walked towards the dining room.  
  
  
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~  
  
  
Ran opened her eyes wearily, and cuddled closer to her father's chest. She felt warm and safe within those strong arms that were hugging her close, finding comfort in the man's steady breathing. Mesmerized by the rhythmic rising and falling of his bare chest she traced a small hand along his muscles. Noticing how similar their skin was, she smiled. Her classmates had always teased her because of her dark complexion, so different from her mother's pale features. But her hand blended perfectly with Van's tanned skin.  
  
A father.  
  
Not just a father, but _her_ father.   
  
Ran smiled again, her fingers caressing his raven hair, so similar to her own. She giggled slightly when she found herself staring at her deformed reflection in the pink pendant her father had around his neck. She peered at it curiously, her nose millimeters away from the shiny surface; two wide, red eyes stared back at her in amusement.   
  
"Do you like it, Ran?"  
  
She gasped, and pulled back staring into Van's eyes, into her eyes. Her father smiled broadly when she nodded.   
  
"Well, get dressed and then I'll tell you its story..."  
  
Ran's eyes shone with excitement as she ran to her bedroom, black hair flowing behind her like a halo.  
  
Van sat up and stretched. He casually ran a finger over the path his daughter's hand had traced, the warmth of her innocent fingers still lingering on his chest. Was this what being a father was all about? Smiling at your child's joy?   
  
He stretched again and casually disregarded his black robe in favor of a pair of trousers and a red shirt... running his hand through his messy bangs, he walked towards his daughter's room...  
  
"PAPA! ...Could you please do up my hair for me?" came a shrill soprano voice from behind the door, just before it flung open and Ran rushed out clutching a hairbrush in one hand and a crimson ribbon in the other...  
  
Ran threw herself in Van's lap and handed him the objects, and then she started swinging her legs back and forwards as Van ran the brush through her silky hair. She winced as he slowly disentangled the sleepy knots from her bangs and pulled her hair up in a ponytail. Tying the smooth material around her hair he patted her head gently.  
  
"There, done."  
  
She turned round and smiled, crawling off his lap and throwing her arms round his neck in thanks. He stood up, cradling her small form in his arms and started walking towards the door and into the dimly lit corridor.   
  
"Where are we going papa?" she asked, curious.   
  
"We're looking for a teddy bear. I promised you didn't I?"   
  
  
~°~°~°~°~°~°~  
  
  
Van winced, and gently set Ran down on the ground. In front of him stood a massive wooden door, the brass handle tinged with the greenish color of old metal.   
  
He hadn't been in there, well, for ages since the last he had entered this room was at the age of five. It scared him a little...  
  
Ran reached for the doorknob and pushed but the heavy door didn't budge.   
  
"Papa! It won't open!" she whined. A childish whine that made her sound even more like the daughter she was...  
  
Van rested his hand against the smooth surface and pushed harder, the ancient wood finally giving in and creaking open.   
  
She ran inside, her small feet leaving clear footprints on the dusty floor...   
  
Van entered the room and closed the door behind him. It was still exactly the same room he had left 15 years before. The room of a Prince. The room that prince left when he became the next in line for the throne.   
  
His gaze lingered on the small bed in the corner of the room, the plain, blue blanket covering the soft mattress. It creaked loudly when he sat on it. Resting his back against the faded gray of the wall, he took in the familiar surroundings of his childhood. The chest of drawers, the childish crayon drawings on the walls, the trunk of toys Ran was currently searching through.  
  
He smiled and rested his chin of his hands, never taking his eyes off his daughter. Ran turned round; a small ragged doll cradled in her arms...  
  
"Can I keep her papa?" her wide, red eyes pleading.   
  
"Of course. Your grandmother made her, she'd be happy if you had her..."   
  
Ran cuddled up the doll, her expressionless stuffed face conveying a feeling of loneliness. She wore a short cotton dress, the same shade of green her woolen hair was, the clumsy stitches that had made her only slightly undone.   
  
"Thank you." Ran smiled.  
  
From the ground he picked up a dusty book, the pages yellow and fragile. It was the tale of how the brave warrior slayed the nasty dragon, the faded illustrations slightly doodled by a child's hand...   
  
"Is it a fairy tale papa?"  
  
Van shook his head... "It's the story of the Fanel family"  
  
"Can you read it to me papa?"  
  
He handed her the book, and ruffled her hair.  
  
"Tonight, little one. Before you go to sleep."   
  
She tucked the book under her arm and got a better hold on the rag doll, then she nodded, smiling brightly.   
  
"Do you know where mama is?"   
  
"Probably eating, little one. Why don't you go and look for her? The dining room is just down the corridor..."  
  
"Papa? And you?" her red eyes wide, questioning.  
  
"I'll come in a little while." Van smiled and ruffled her hair again.   
  
He watched silently as Ran tugged at the door and opened it, then she looked at him one last time and ran out, closing the heavy door behind her.   
  
And he was alone.  
  
When had the mirror cracked? He gazed at his fragmented reflection searching for answers... It had cracked when a little boy had thrown his sword at it in frustration, fear and loneliness. It had cracked when this little boy with short black hair, lost his brother. It had cracked when he had cried helpless tears for the disappearance of his mother.   
  
His gaze fell on the doodles on the wall... two stick like figures smiled back.   
  
A small boy with red eyes and a tall one with long, green hair. Two different people, drawn by two different hands.   
  
**But it's mean to kill a dragon...**   
  
Van slid to the ground, and buried his face in his hands, hot tears spilling from his eyes, trickling down his cheeks and landing with a splash on the dusty floor.   
  
No sound escaped his parted lips, just the soft whisper of a word he had both loved and hated... the name of a person he had both despised and adored...  
  
"Brother..."   
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
::blows nose:: poor Van...  
  
stay tuned, faithful readers... because something interesting should start to happen in the next chapter... or the one after, or the one after that... ::sweatdrops:: it depends how much detail I decide to add... ^_^  
  
Gomen ::bows low:: sorry if this is so short. I've got an exam tomorrow and this is as much as I am physically able to write tonight...   
  
Disclaimer: read the ones for the previous 6 chapters... ^_^  
  
reviews!!!!! onegai!!!! ^_^  
  
  
luv  
Serena a.k.a. Koneko Kamiya ='.'=  



	8. Honey and Clover

  
Windflowers...   
  
  
Chapter 8: Honey and Clover   
  
  
  
  
  
*Fanelia, Gaea*  
  
  
Hitomi picked up a small spoon from the glass bowl that sat on the table. The silver was warm under her fingers as she scooped up some honey and spread it on the thin slice of bread that rested on her plate. Light was streaming in from the window behind her, filtering through the dust particles that floated through the room and the cheerful melody from Tareel's harp. The spoon landed back into the bowl with a loud clink and Tareel stopped playing, her fingers frozen on the delicate strings.   
  
She looked up just in time to notice Hitomi biting into the bread, chewing slowly. A drop of honey rested on her lower lip as she swallowed then quickly licked it away. She smiled and studied the remaining slice before turning towards the younger girl.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want any?"   
  
Tareel nodded and resumed playing, the tempo increasing as she caressed the stings expertly.  
  
"I ate already this morning, Lady Hitomi. Besides, I don't like honey that much. It's too sweet."  
  
"More for me then." Hitomi's smile widened as she bit into the other slice.  
  
The wooden door creaked noisily as it was pushed open, the sound of light footsteps filling the room. Tareel stood up and bowed low, not noticing the confused look Ran shot her as she hugged her mother.  
  
"Princess..."  
  
Hitomi picked the little girl up and sat her on a chair beside hers. Then she looked at Tareel, whose eyes were still facing the woolen carpet.   
  
"Tareel, there's no need to bow... really!"  
  
"But she's my king's daughter..." Tareel's voice sounded both apologetic and stubborn, therefore Hitomi just sighed loudly.  
  
Tareel sat down again and crossed her legs, resting the harp on her lap she looked straight at the young princess and smiled. Ran smiled back, then concentrated her attention on her mother's breakfast. Noticing Ran's hungry look, Hitomi reached for the pitcher and poured her daughter a glass of creamy milk.   
  
"Ma-ma! You know I don't like milk!" Ran frowned, and as she noticed her mother reaching for the honey bowl, she added "and I don't like honey either!"   
  
Hitomi ignored her and plopped a spoonful of golden honey into the cup. The honey swirled around the milk for a moment then it landed at the bottom of the glass. Hitomi stirred gently, and the white milk tinged an amber color. From her position on the floor, Tareel chuckled at Ran's obvious expression of disgust.  
  
"There, taste this." Hitomi smiled... a pushy, motherly smile.  
  
Ran drew back but extended her hands anyway. When the glass was firmly in her grasp she looked at the contents doubtfully, then sipped it. The sip turned into a gulp as she downed the glass. The warm, sweet liquid didn't taste like milk at all.   
  
Both Tareel and Hitomi giggled when Ran placed the empty glass on the wooden surface of the table and smiled sheepishly.  
  
"I still don't like honey and milk though..."  
  
That turned the giggle into a cheerful laugh.   
  
"What's so funny?"   
  
Tareel and Hitomi turned to face the doorway as a thin cat girl appeared from the corridor. The short, yellow dress accentuating her curves as she leaned against the wall, strawberry hair framing her feline features as her baby blue eyes shined with mirth.   
  
"Auntie Merle!"   
  
Merle visibly flinched, but smiled as she sat down at the table and stretched her legs. Purring in contentment, she reached for a bowl of cream and added a spoonful of dark purple berries to it. Hitomi watched curiously as the cat girl tasted it and cringed slightly, reaching for a glass of milk.   
  
"Sour?" Tareel asked with a smirk.  
  
Merle nodded and added a huge spoonful of honey.  
  
"The mori aren't ripe yet... don't ask me why they pick them already!" She licked the sweet cream from her fingers and smiled.  
  
"Mori?" Hitomi asked, confused.  
  
"Uhm, mori." Merle swallowed and scooped up another spoonful and plopped it in Hitomi's mouth.   
  
Hitomi chewed slowly, then swallowed.   
  
"Blackberries." Hitomi smiled and licked her lips.   
  
Then Hitomi turned towards her daughter and smiled noticing she had dipped her fingers in the bowl of cream and was currently licking them clean. Tareel laughed and placed the harp on the ground, stood up and stretched noisily. Merle finished her breakfast with a sigh, the silver spoon tinkling loudly in the empty bowl.   
  
"Well then brat, how about we go and pick some flowers for your papa's room? Tareel, you're coming too aren't you?"   
  
Tareel frowned at the informal way with which the cat girl had addressed their young princess but nodded, smoothing her gown. Ran on the other hand glared at her father's friend and stuck her tongue out. Merle responded in kind.  
  
"Of course, I'll be coming with you and the princess, Lady Merle. If Lady Hitomi doesn't request my company..."   
  
Merle rolled her eyes; too much formality sounded stupid. Hitomi noticed this and chuckled.   
  
"You can go, Tareel. Be a good girl Ran. Don't make _auntie_ Merle mad... she scratches sometimes." Hitomi smirked as the younger girl huffed and placed a giggling Ran on her shoulders, her long tail swishing from side to side in mock annoyance.   
  
"Where's papa, Ran?" Merle bent down to allow small Hitomi to kiss her daughter on the cheek.  
  
"In his old room down the corridor, mama"   
  
Both Tareel and Merle darkened although Hitomi didn't notice for she was too busy running out of the room. Merle sighed loudly.  
  
"Newlyweds..."  
  
"They aren't married yet, Lady Merle."  
  
"It doesn't matter. Well, little princess, are you ready?"  
  
"Yes Auntie Merle!"  
  
"Don't call me Auntie, brat!"  
  
Both Ran and Tareel laughed as Merle's cat-like ears twitched in annoyance. Outside the tall windows of the castle the sun was shining invitingly, the previous night's storm forgotten in the bright morning light.  
  
  
***  
  
The hard floor was uncomfortable as Van moaned softly, the wooden planks feeling cold and rough against his skin. He shifted to a more comfortable sitting position and groaned as his sore limbs winced in protest. He blinked, slowly noticing the bright light that was now streaming in through the dusty windowpanes. His eyelids felt heavy, forcing him to close his eyes again, not bothering to dry his tears from his cheeks.   
  
Crying was good sometimes.   
  
That was not what he had been taught but it felt good to have an excuse. Even if it was as feeble as that.   
  
Yes, crying was good, but the painful headache that was throbbing in his temples told him otherwise... He winced again; careful to keep his eyes shut this time and fell back onto the small bed he had slept in as a child. Folken used to sleep beside him sometimes...  
  
Enough of that. No more memories for that day.   
  
The soft creaking of the door gave away somebody's entrance in the room. The door groaned again as it was shut, then soft footsteps echoed across the room. Van could almost see the clouds of dust lifting with each impact and dancing through the morning air. He heard someone coughing and turned round to face the direction of the sound...  
  
"Van?"  
  
Van pushed himself up against the wall and opened his eyes slightly... There she was, standing in the middle of the messy room, a silky sleeve covering her mouth and nose from the dust, her eyes turning into two liquid pools full of concern...  
  
"Hitomi..."  
  
She was by his side in an instant, his face cradled at her breast, he sighed loudly and closed his eyes again. Van then wrapped his arms round her waist seeking security only she could provide, her fingers tenderly caressing his cheeks...  
  
"You were crying weren't you?" her voice was soft, gentle...  
  
Van snuggled closer, finding no reason to deny it...  
  
"Why?"  
  
Van sighed and looked at her... then he grabbed her waist and sat her in his lap.  
  
"I never really grieved my brother's death, he was gone from my life for ten years, ten incredibly long years, then he suddenly came back... I guess I was crying for the fifteen year old brother that abandoned me 15 years ago..."  
  
Hitomi gently kissed the drying tears from his cheeks, licking away the salt and the pain...   
  
"He hadn't changed, you know that?" Hitomi punctuated her statement with a peck on his lips. "He was still the same Folken that left you when you were just a child. His personality was just hidden in his heart... He loved you just as much as you loved him."   
  
It was his mouth that searched for hers now, warm and hungry, as he tasted her lips tenderly. His hands gently cupped the nape of her neck, tilting her face upward to meet his. Slowly, he ran his tongue against hers, gently suckling on her lower lip until she pulled back, smiling seductively.  
  
"You had honey for breakfast didn't you?" He smiled the lopsided grin she adored...  
  
Hitomi punctually whacked him. "I like you better than honey, you're sweeter..."   
  
Van pulled her back onto his lap and captured her lips in another kiss, a hard kiss that left both of them breathless.   
  
"Ehem... Lord Van?"  
  
Van opened his eyes and stared at the doorway, a man in his late fifties was standing there looking extremely uncomfortable. He was fiddling with the ties in his jacket with his sweaty fingers. The king reluctantly broke the kiss but kept a firm hold on Hitomi's waist.  
  
"What is it Leval?"  
  
Hitomi blushed under the man's stare...  
  
"This must be Lady Hitomi..." he bowed "I ask to be forgiven for the ehem... interruption. Lord Van, there have been problems in the country side because of the recent rain." Leval didn't wait for any indication to continue and supplied the information...  
  
  
"There has been a high risk of flooding in the southern regions, your majesty. The water levels are extremely high and there have been a few victims. The population needs reassurance Lord Van. It would be advisable to go and visit the cities to investigate on any further damage..." Leval stood up straight, careful not to make eye contact with the King or the future Queen...  
  
"And the crops, Leval?"   
  
"It seems that it has hailed in the northern regions next to the Floresta Mountains, nothing major but the weaker crops may be ruined."   
  
Van sighed and stood up bringing Hitomi with him. She blushed and moved away slightly, but he refused to let go of her.   
  
"Well then, I'll leave immediately. I'll be back later tonight Hitomi." He bent down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before leaving for the stables.  
  
Hitomi's gaze flew to the ground, staring at her child's footprints in the dust. She could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment but the man didn't seem fazed.  
  
"My Lady... The elders seem to think that the most appropriate time for your wedding would be during the Summer Solstice Festival. Do you think it is possible?"  
  
How did everyone now everything in that castle? Oh right, because there were enough maids to serve the whole Japan...   
  
"Sir... Leval wasn't it?" She looked up, strength present in her voice... "I would like to discuss it with Van, er... the King too, but I think that whatever suits the elders will be fine."  
  
"That leaves us with less than a month to prepare the feast, Lady Hitomi. It won't be as grand as it should be... you will become Queen of Fanelia after all..." Sir Leval fidgeted.  
  
"No matter..." Hitomi smiled. "We should be going, Sir Leval. Would you escort me to the gardens?"  
  
Leval smiled and offered his arm which Hitomi gladly accepted.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Riding through the forest was beautiful when the weather was nice, but after the recent rain the bushes were damp and the muddy paths were even more muddy then usual. The horses' hooves sunk slightly into the wet soil as it galloped towards the southern territories. The ride wasn't going to last long for Fanelia wasn't a very big country, and Van found himself falling into the rhythm of his horse's strides and his thoughts wandering to his bride-to-be.  
  
That was until the horse ran out of the forest and into the fields that surrounded Fanelia Castle. The soil had eagerly drunk the cold rain that had fallen the previous night, now the grasses were long and lush, swaying gently in the warm breeze. The horse slowed to a stop as his muzzle neared the ground. The fields of clover were dotted with white and red flowers, insects busily working around them, collecting the nectar for their beehives. Those endless meadows framed the mountains that reached up to the azure sky, the white clouds speckling the otherwise flawless canvas.  
  
Just as his horse started nibbling on the sweet clover leaves, Van turned round to face the shining walls of the palace. The white marble blended with the fluffy clouds adding to the contrast with the sunny sky. In that castle were the most important things in his life and he would protect them no matter what. For a split second the sky darkened and the white stone turned crimson, as the clover meadows lay before his eyes, charred and hellish. And the shrill cry of a seagull broke the silence.  
  
Van blinked.  
  
The breeze picked up and his horse's mane tangled in the wind. The castle walls were as white as snow and the meadows as green as ever, and the sea was far far away.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Picking a bright red flower to add to her bunch, Merle cried out as a bee stung her. Cursing loudly she turned to face her friends only to find that nobody was around her.  
  
A bunch of flowers lay scattered on the ground next to the tall apple tree, together with an old rag doll.   
  
"Ran?"  
  
Nothing answered.  
  
Just the meadows, the sky and the spring breeze ruffling her hair and carrying the scent of the blossoms... and the feeble notes of a wistful melody.  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
Koneko throws herself on her knees begging forgiveness...  
  
A full three weeks since the last time I posted... if you really want to know the reason... well, I've got my GCSE exams until the 22nd of June and my Japanese exams next week... ::cringes:: I've been studying like mad lately, I'm sorry really. Some people actually mailed me asking if I was dead or something and I rudely didn't even find the time to answer.  
  
But my conscience had the better of me and I took some time out of my revision schedule to write this chapter. I know it's not the best but I tried...   
  
Anyway... I'll try to fit the next chapter in; otherwise you'll have to wait until the end of June. GOMEN NE! _  
  
love you all,  
Koneko Kamiya ='.'=  
  
::Van appears out of nowhere to drag her bag to her chemistry book...::  
  
"No Van-honey…! Let me at least post it... wa------"  
  



End file.
